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Jonathan Owens is back at NFL training camp for the Chicago Bears after taking a short break to support his wife, Simone Biles, at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has already fired off a zinger directed at his former Green Bay Packers team.
Owens returned to the practice field for the Bears on August 3 after the team allowed him to miss five days in order to travel to Paris and cheer on his wife at the Olympics. He signed a two-year, $4.05 million with the Bears in March and projects to start the 2024 season as their No. 3 safety behind starters Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker.
Upon his return, though, a fan in the stands at August 4’s practice asked Owens about his 2023 team — the Packers — and whether he missed playing for them now that he has crossed the NFC North rivalry lines and moved to Chicago. His response — according to David Peters Jr. of Next Wave Ball — should endear him to the Bears fan base.
“Absolutely not,” Owens responded, via Peters’ post on X about the interaction.
Jonathan Owens Calls Bears ‘1st-Class Organization’
Owens will naturally earn some goodwill with Bears fans for throwing shade at their least favorite NFC North rival organization, but the 29-year-old’s comments might be more simply rooted in how the Bears have treated him in his short time on the roster.
Owens did not have the opportunity to support Biles — widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time — during the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions but became determined to do so for the Paris Olympics this time around. The trick was getting the NFL team that just signed him as a free agent to permit him to leave camp.
“It was just something me and my agent talked about when we went in and signed with the [Bears],” Owens told reporters on July 25 before he traveled to France. “We just went to them and asked, ‘We’d really appreciate it if he can go and support his wife.'”
The Bears obliged without fuss.
“They were really cool about it, man,” Owens said. “This is a first-class organization. I just want to thank them so much for even allowing me to go over and do that.”
In reality, Owens did not miss much with the Bears. He practiced on Monday, July 29, before hopping on a flight to Paris to watch Biles and her U.S. teammates compete in the women’s team finals on July 30. Owens stayed to support Biles in the women’s all-around final on August 1, watching her win the gold medal, before flying back home.
During his time away, Owens missed just three practices for the Bears, including their split session ahead of their NFL Hall of Fame Game matchup with the Houston Texans. Owens, as a six-year pro, should not have much making up for lost time at practice.
Jonathan Owens Striving to Bounce Back With Bears
Owens played in all 17 games for the Packers in 2023, making 11 starts and splitting his 774 snaps between strong safety, free safety and slot cornerback. He tallied a third-most 84 total tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery that he took 27 yards for his first career touchdown. He also struggled quite a bit in coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus, Owens allowed 22 receptions on 33 targets (66.7%) and allowed an opposing passer rating of 115.8 when targetted in coverage in 2023. In fairness to Owens, though, the Packers’ entire secondary unit struggled under former defensive coordinator Joe Barry during his final season in charge of the defense.
For instance, All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander allowed one more reception and more than 100 additional receiving yards in coverage than Owens despite getting targetted the same number of times. Darnell Savage, one of Owens’ partners in the deep field, had an even rougher time, allowing completions on 13 of his 16 passing targets (81.3).
That said, Owens must still earn his spot with the Bears in the sense that his contract is easy for the team to dispatch if he does not live up to expectations. The Bears also have 2022 seventh-round pick Elijah Hicks vying for reps in the safety rotation and will want to see how he measures up with Owens after his strong play in the preseason opener.
Now that Owens is back from France, the real work begins for him with the Bears.
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